Chromebooks?

[Velvis]

Windows based client is interested in adding a couple of chrome books. Are these ok for accessing windows shares etc?



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[Markverhyden]

For the most part yes. But you do need to know which version of SMB is being supported on the Windoze box.

 

[Velvis]

For the most part yes. But you do need to know which version of SMB is being supported on the Windoze box.

But then docs get opened in google docs right?

Seems like a hassle to save a small amount of money...




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[seedubya]

But then docs get opened in google docs right?

Seems like a hassle to save a small amount of money...Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Office already runs on some Chromebooks and will be made to run on others. Why do you think MS has demoted the Head of Windows to a 2nd level management? Any Chromebook that supports running Android Apps will run Office for Android which is pretty full featured.

 

[Markverhyden]

But then docs get opened in google docs right?

Seems like a hassle to save a small amount of money...




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Default app has nothing to do with the share process.

 

[Velvis]

Office already runs on some Chromebooks and will be made to run on others. Why do you think MS has demoted the Head of Windows to a 2nd level management? Any Chromebook that supports running Android Apps will run Office for Android which is pretty full featured.

I wasn't aware of that. Do most chrome books support android apps?


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[Markverhyden]

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-get-android-apps-on-a-chromebook/

 

[Seabass]

A bunch now offer the Google Play store. Here is a recent list:

https://www.androidcentral.com/these-are-chromebooks-can-run-android-apps


I have been testing a Google Pixelbook on our Windows domain environment for the last couple of days. I went to the Google Play store and downloaded all of the Microsoft apps we use:
Word, Excel, OneDrive for Business, OneNote, Skype for Busness and Outlook.

The apps are sized for a phone when they are first opened, but they adjust and re open to full screen when you expand them.
Since we are an O365 shop, I went and downloaded the web apps as well. They worked as well as I expected from a web app.

I was able to access shared folders on my Windows machine using the Network File Share Chrome OS app.
I will continue testing tomorrow by trying to connect to our file servers. I had some trouble with that today, but ran out of time to pursue it. I'll also try out the Office apps further.

Feel free to suggest anything else you want tested, and take a look at that as well.

Full disclosure, I have never laid my hands on a Chrome OS machine until this project.

 

[timeshifter]

Office already runs on some Chromebooks

Wait, what??

Not sure I understand. So there's a "native" version of Office for Chrome OS? Wouldn't that mean it's essentially a Chrome plug-in? But not the same as running Office through your browser?

This doesn't fit into any of the boxes in my mind

 

[Markverhyden]

Wait, what??

Not sure I understand. So there's a "native" version of Office for Chrome OS? Wouldn't that mean it's essentially a Chrome plug-in? But not the same as running Office through your browser?

This doesn't fit into any of the boxes in my mind

https://products.office.com/en-us/mobile/office-mobile-apps-for-android

 

[sapphirescales]

I don't have experience with any of the "premium" ridiculously priced $1,000 Chromebooks. In my experience, people buy Chromebooks because they're cheap, and that's it. Unfortunately because they're cheap, they're typically pieces of disposable crap that don't last. None of my clients actually use Chromebooks. Most purchased one thinking it would replace their computer, and then were sorely disappointed once they realized their limitations. I set them straight. If I had a client that insisted on buying Chromebooks because they're cheap and they refused my recommendations, I'd fire them as a client. I mean hell, a $200 refurbished Dell Latitude laptop would be a better option. Spend $240 for one with an SSD.

 

[Seabass]

I don't have experience with any of the "premium" ridiculously priced $1,000 Chromebooks. In my experience, people buy Chromebooks because they're cheap, and that's it. Unfortunately because they're cheap, they're typically pieces of disposable crap that don't last. None of my clients actually use Chromebooks. Most purchased one thinking it would replace their computer, and then were sorely disappointed once they realized their limitations. I set them straight. If I had a client that insisted on buying Chromebooks because they're cheap and they refused my recommendations, I'd fire them as a client. I mean hell, a $200 refurbished Dell Latitude laptop would be a better option. Spend $240 for one with an SSD.

I agree, the $1000 Chromebook seems like a waste of money to anyone except Google fanboys. I was directed to purchase and test out this particular model by managers in our Products dept. so I did (Corporate IT is my day job). I have been describing this as an overpriced Android tablet with a keyboard to anyone asking me about it. I won't be recommending this as a laptop replacement to anyone only because I can't find a legit reason to use one of these instead of a Win10 laptop in my environment.

I will finish up testing next week probably, and will send this out to the requesting manager letting them know that support from IT will be limited.

With that said, the hardware is beautiful, I am actually typing this comment on it.

 

[Krynn72]

I've heard tell that Google is in the process of making it so ChromeOS will be able to run Linux applications. This functionality will make it slightly more worth buying the expensive Chromebooks.

 

[timeshifter]

https://products.office.com/en-us/mobile/office-mobile-apps-for-android

OK, makes sense now, I think. So anyone running Office "natively" on a Chromebook is running Office for Android? Then it's just the Chromebooks that can run Android apps?

With that said, the hardware is beautiful, I am actually typing this comment on it.

What model Chromebook is it?

I actually like Chromebooks. Most of the hardware is cheap crap. I don't like that. If you can find slightly better hardware, $400-ish or so they may be OK hardware-wise.

I like their software platform. A simple browser based computer - anyone remember "net computing" from the 90s, or some similar idea, don't recall the exact name, but it never took off.

 

[Seabass]

What model Chromebook is it?

Google Pixelbook

I actually like Chromebooks. Most of the hardware is cheap crap. I don't like that. If you can find slightly better hardware, $400-ish or so they may be OK hardware-wise.

So far I’m liking the Chromebook too, I just can’t justify using it over a Win10 device in our business.
Microsoft's Remote Desktop app in the play store connected to my PC the first try, but my desktop wouldn't display, just a black screen with no icons. So I'll try and figure that out, or try a different app.

Network printing on our domain was tricky, I was able to work around it because my printer is a Samsung, and there's Samsung Print Service Plugin for that.
Just for shiggles, I added the Microsoft Launcher app, but that crashes every time I've run it so far, The RepairShopr app is works great.

 

[Diggs]

Hp, Canon, Epson, Brother all have their corresponding Android print apps at the Play Store.

For the younger (pre-millennial even) that have always grown up with a smartphone in hand a Chromebook is perfect. They're already tuned to the OS and their whole life is online anyway. MS Office locally? They'd look at you like you are clueless. Nothing is local. Everything is online.

 

[mraikes]

..snipped..
For the younger (pre-millennial even) that have always grown up with a smartphone in hand a Chromebook is perfect. They're already tuned to the OS and their whole life is online anyway. MS Office locally? They'd look at you like you are clueless. Nothing is local. Everything is online.

"Everything online" remains more in the personal and entertainment realm rather than things most people have to do to earn a paycheck. There are very few businesses that could throw out their old fashioned computers and switch to a Chromebook just because their employees are comfortable with their Facebook and Snapchat phone apps.

 

[Diggs]

"Everything online" remains more in the personal and entertainment realm rather than things most people have to do to earn a paycheck. There are very few businesses that could throw out their old fashioned computers and switch to a Chromebook just because their employees are comfortable with their Facebook and Snapchat phone apps.

True, but don't make the same mistake as so many before you. Those running today's businesses didn't grow up with everything mobile and online. It won't take even a generation for those old entrenched business standards (old fashioned computers - heh) to change. Heck - My dad was a CEO as well as a CPA. We (actually me) ran Peachtree Accounting on an old Leading Edge XT but he still had to keep hand ledgers for our company because he wouldn't trust a computer with our paychecks. Pffft - Today my company uses Quickbooks Online, Google Voice, Google Drive and I'm only one generation older but still a Baby Boomer. We need to be looking at what business will look like when the millennials are in charge and the "pre-millennials" are being hired.

Just as an aside - During the summers I hang with the IT/CTO director for one of the top insurance companies in the US ($500+ million sales) drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade and catching rays on the lake. We don't talk about work too much but last summer his biggest thoughts were how fast he could get rid of his "big iron" server farm (12,000+ instances running or actual machines, I forget) and into the cloud. He said he wouldn't have even thought about such a thing 5 years ago.

 

[Markverhyden]

^^^^ . What @Diggs said. Times change and you have to be able to change with them. Today pretty much everyone is using mobile devices. We need to remember these customer do not exist for us to repair/install/configure machines and networks. We are here to help their business succeed, how ever that may happen.

Over the years I've seen very large companies fall behind, from personal experience so to speak, because they failed to recognize the impact of changes.

Some examples.

Caterpillar. This dates back to the 70's and 80's. They did invest in a huge computerized warehouse with robotics to pick parts for customers. Advertised how they lowered the part shipment turn around time from 7-10 days to 1 day. The problem is on the other end nothing had changed. For example changing a transmission on a D8 still took almost a week. At a mining or construction site that's a major problem. Komatsu redesigned their's for a pull out and push in replacement cutting down the replacement to a matter of hours.

Schlumberger. They invented the technology for recording the characteristics of a borehole. For decades they had an extremely profitable monopoly. During one of the typical down turns, in the '80,'s low oil/gas prices created a window of opportunity in the US. Not only had competitors popped up, Oil & Gas companies realized they really did not need all the fancy stuff. Over a one year period I saw their equipment removed on 8 drilling rigs and replaced by competitors. the end result is they have almost no activity in that segment in the US.

Retail. Don't think I need to expand on that.

 

[Diggs]

...and now Linux apps will be able to run on Chromebooks? This is getting interesting.

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/05/09/linux_chrome_os/